The Exploration Systems Mission Directorate has announced the appointment of Dan Dumbacher as acting deputy associate administrator.

Dumbacher is director of the Engineering Directorate at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, where he leads an organization of 1,400 civil servants and 1,200 contractors responsible for the design, test, evaluation and operation of hardware and software associated with space transportation systems and science instruments. He has also served as deputy director for the Ares Projects Office at Marshall and in the Safety and Mission Assurance Office at the center. He has served in numerous other capacities at Marshall in the Engineering Directorate and the Space Shuttle Program.

Dumbacher joined NASA in 1979 as an engineer for liquid propulsion systems at Marshall, where he led shuttle main engine systems and component analysis activities. From 1985 to 1987, he served as chief of air vehicle integration for the Exo-Atmospheric Reentry Interceptor System at Teledyne Brown in Huntsville and Sunnyvale, California.

"ESMD is privileged to benefit from Dan's expertise and breadth of NASA experience," said ESMD Associate Administrator Doug Cooke. "We look forward to having him on the team during this important time for the directorate."